“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. ” – From The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
BURBANK, CA, JULY 30, 2012 — “Peter Jackson will make a third film in his upcoming adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, it was jointly announced today by New Line Cinema, MGM Studios, [and] Warner Bros. Pictures Group.”
About his decision to split the book into three movies, Jackson stated:
“Upon recently viewing a cut of the first film, and a chunk of the second, [we] were very pleased with the way the story was coming together. We recognized that the richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, gave rise to a simple question: do we tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as filmmakers and fans was an unreserved ‘yes.’”
- Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman
Some might wonder how he will be able to make three movies out of one book–a book that is only three hundred or so pages long! Jackson offered explanation to wary fans:
We know the strength of our cast and of the characters they have brought to life. We know creatively how compelling and engaging the story can be and—lastly, and most importantly—we know how much of the tale of Bilbo Baggins, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur would remain untold if we did not fully realize this complex and wonderful adventure. I’m delighted that New Line, MGM and Warner Bros. are equally enthusiastic about bringing fans this expansive tale across three films.”
The best part? Each film is slated to hit theatres one year after the other, meaning that Tolkein fans will have something to look forward to every December. There will be no long, painful waits like other similar movie trilogies…cough…George Lucas…cough cough. Eh-hem.
For any of you who don’t know what The Hobbit is (shame on you!), let me give a quick synopsis. The book takes places immediately before the events in The Lord of the Rings. And while the book does act as a prequel, it is strong enough to stand on its own merits as an incredible tale of high adventure.
The Hobbit follows Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, who is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Convinced by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by their legendary leader, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey takes them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, the first half of the book lands them in goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected qualities–qualities that will ultimately shape the entire fate of Middle Earth.
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter.” – Gollum’s riddle in the dark
If you haven’t read The Hobbit, you are in luck! Amazon is currently running a special sale on the 70th Anniversary Hardcover edition which can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hobbit-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618968636/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344519377&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hobbit
Do yourself a favor and pick up the 70th Anniversary edition of J.R.R. Tolkein’s timeless classic. Since the movie does not hit theatres until Dec. 14, 2012, you have plenty of time to read it beforehand!
For more information about the upcoming film, please be sure to check out their Facebook page. Also, you can watch several YouTube videos documenting the making of the first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as they were shooting in New Zealand! I will attach some links below.
Here is the full BEHIND THE SCENES production video of The Hobbit in HD:
That’ll do it for today’s blog. If you’re looking forward to The Hobbit as much as I am, feel free to comment below! Be sure to check back here tomorrow for another random entry. Thanks for reading.
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